ISH'S GIANT SMALLMOUTH GAME CHANGER
Ish Monroe boated a 5-1 smallmouth and gave him an almost 3 pound upgrade. This put him in control of his matchup with Mike Iaconelli with just a little bit of time left.

During the semifinal round of the Bassmaster Classic Bracket held on the Pokegama Lake out of Grand Rapids, Minn., Ish Monroe defeated Michael Iaconelli and Jacob Powroznik defeated Dave Lefebre to advance to the championship match on Friday. The weights will go back to zero and both anglers will fish six hours, from 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. CT. Photos by B.A.S.S.

Ask any of his Elite Series peers, and they will tell you one thing about Ish Monroe; he is a big bass addict. Ish would rather swing for the fences and try to win a tournament then play it safe and go for points. With that in mind, this kit features an assortment of Ish's favorite baits. Ish throws the Biggie and the Bling when he's searching for active bass. Once he finds them, he slows down and targets the swamp donkeys with a Bully-Wa II or a creature bait on a Nu Jack Flippin/ Hook. Take these baits to the lake, and prepare for battle!

Today’s topwater frogs don’t just hop across matted vegetation. Developments in the available frog styles has enabled anglers to present the lure in a variety of conditions – changing the retrieve improves success in varied situations

When the water switches and starts coming back in, there is going to be a lot of good current. The fish are going to set up on ambush points – points of grass, points of hyacinth mats, points of prim rose and shade lines of docks.

If you have pre-signed for the Snag Proof Open tournament, we will start the sign-ups at 8:30 AM in the Russo’s Marina office. All anglers must complete and sign your entry form and Quagga Mussel form, then you will receive your boat number, which is the same number for both days.

River2Sea releases its new Double Plopper rig. Based of the success of the original whopper plopper, the Double Plopper rig takes buzzbaiting to the next level. With two counter-rotating plopper blades not only does it still have the same plopping sound it creates an extreme commotion in the water. Another benefit is the ability to stop and pause this double spin buzzbait without the bait sinking.

“I throw a popping frog when bluegill are smacking on the top, or when the wind is blowing,” Monroe said. “Other than that, I use the walking frog the majority of the time. If there isn’t a ripple on the water, I’m using the walking frog even if the bluegill are smacking on top.”